Walls Come Down
by wishican97
Summary: After fighting over a seemingly unimportant trinket, Wally ends up telling Arty something he probably should have a while ago... So I'm really bad at summaries. R&R if you want more unrelated one-shots! Rated T. :) Please no flames! Spitfire!
1. The Locket

**So, this is my first one-shot. It's not really in any certain time frame, so if something doesn't line up with the story line and you don't like it, you're barking up the wrong tree. It was better to have her past know for this, and I liked it best that way...SO erm... Yeah. **

**Enjoy the fluff! **

"You're an idiot!" She screamed, slamming the cabinet door.

"You're a bigger one!" He screamed back, searching in vain for something to slam.

"That's it? You're a bigger one?!" Artemis almost flung her sandwich at Wally's head.

"Yeah, well, you are." He said, crossing his arms like an insolent child.

There was a cackle from the living room, and Artemis glared.

"Stay out of this, Bird Boy!" She yelled, her gray eyes flashing.

Robins head popped around the corner, his usual smirk in place. He walked over to the fridge, carefully avoiding Wally and Artemis's glare-path. His smirk grew into a full fledged grin when Wally reached for the cause of the argument.

"I just want to see it!" He yelled as Artemis picked it up and chucked it across the room.

"You can't, it's gone." She turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen. She almost plowed into Zatanna, who jumped out of her way.

"Well, okay then." Zatanna said, picking up an apple and spinning it carefully on her pointer finger.

"What did Wally do this time?" Asked Megan. She put her hands on her hips, glaring at the speedster.

"I'm innocent!" Wally yelped, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Yeah, until proven guilty." Robin said under his breath. Zatanna elbowed him, and he gave her a goofy grin.

"Just go say you're sorry." Kaldur said, pushing Wally out of the kitchen and towards Artemis's room.

"She's still mad." Wally sighed and bent down to pick up the thing Artemis had thrown. He had found her carefully examining it, and without thinking, had snatched it out of her hands.

It was a small silver locket, and obviously something he wasn't supposed to touch. At all. Ever.

"Fine…" He groaned, dragging his feet on his way down the hallway.

"Drama queen." Rob whispered as Wally sulked. Zatanna smiled at him, and everyone cracked up a little.

"You guys want to watch?" Rob asked, pulling up the security camera feed.

Kaldur stood in front of the screen, crossing his arms.

"No." He said. Everyone sighed. No meant no when it came to Kaldur. But still…

Line Break….

"Artemis?" Wally asked, carefully opening the door. "Arty, you in here?"

A shoe went flying past his head, and he took it as an invitation. He shut the door, knowing Rob and Zatanna would take any chance they could to hear them argue.

"I wanted to say I was sorry…" He said, creeping forward. The small lamp on her nightstand was casting shadows across the whole room. Suddenly, he felt a weight knock him off balance. He landed hard on his back.

"I'm so sorry, Arty. Please don't kill me!" He put him hands up to protect his face, but she just snatched the necklace away from him. She tried to put it back on, but struggled immensely with the clasp.

"Here," Wally said, standing up and reaching out to put it on her.

"No." She snapped, taking a step away from him. She tried again with the clasp, but just flung the small object onto her bed in frustration.

"Stupid necklace, stupid sister, stupid picture, stupid, stupid, stupid…" She mumbled, kicking the leg of her desk repeatedly.

"I don't know, you're not all _that_ stupid." He muttered, rubbing his neck uncomfortably.

"I wasn't saying _I_ was stupid, Wally." She said, flopping down on her bed. She cringed, hearing a crunch as the trinket was crushed beneath her.

She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to keep the tears from flowing.

"Hey, Arty. It's okay, um… I think I should go get Megan. Yeah, I should def-" She cut off his rambling by pulling him down into the chair next to her bed.

"I really don't want anyone else to see me like this. I don't really have a choice when it comes to you, but I can keep you from saying anything." She said, and Wally felt a threat hanging in the air.

He reached out, gently rubbing her back. She tensed, but eventually relaxed under his kind touch.

"It was my sisters. She gave it to me when we were kids, it has one of the few pictures I have of us as kids in it." She murmured into her knees.

"I…" Wally tried to think of something, anything, to fix what he had done. It was one thing, he knew, to get on her last nerve. Messing with her past was a whole new galaxy.

"You didn't know." She said. She sounded so exhausted, so empty. Wally moved to sit on the bed with her.

"Arty, it's alright." He tucked her head under his chin, and the scent of her hair made Wally's head spin.

"I know it's stupid, but I just can't bring myself to get rid of it. It's all I have left." She was starting to doze off, her rage had left her worn.

"It's not stupid, Artemis. It's amazing." He had said the last two words accidentally, and he hoped she wouldn't catch it.

"What?" She asked, her voice still heavy.

"Nothing, Arty. Just get some sleep." He tried to get up, but she wouldn't let him.

"What did you say?" She said, her head on his shoulder.

"I said it was amazing." He gathered all of the courage he could find, and threw in some stupid for good measure. "What I meant is that _you're_ amazing." He said, chuckling nervously.

"Wally…" Artemis said, her voice questioning.

"You never let anyone see you break, you never even tell anyone if you're hurting." He breathed deeply, her scent still intoxicating. "I'm honored that you let me in, Arty. Honored."

She shivered as his fingers run up and down her arm, but she didn't try and injure him, so Wally kept talking.

"I've always liked you, I'm just too stupid to fess up. Mostly because I knew you would try and, I don't know, kill me. But Arty, you're spectacular. I've never been more caught up in anyone than I am in you. You're beautiful, and funny, and smart, and just flat out brilliant. I would do anything for you."

She uncurled, her feet brushing the floor.

"Wally, you really are an idiot." She whispered, and Wally blushed. She looked down, rubbing her arm where Wally had run his fingers. "Did you really mean it?" She asked, tucking her feet beneath her.

He brushed her ponytail over her shoulder, fingering the long strands.

"Every. Single. Word." He said, cupping her chin in his hand.

"Good." She said, her gray eyes sparkling.

"What, no 'you're amazing too' speech. Geez." Wally said sarcastically, trying to cover how flustered she was making him feel.

"Oh, what have I done." Artemis said, shaking her head.

"You're breakin' my heart." Wally said jokingly, leaning in closer. He saw her eyes flutter closed, and their lips brushed.

"Aww!" Came an ecstatic cry from the door way. Megan had opened it, and the whole team was outside. They scattered when Artemis glared at them. Wally smiled, seeing Artemis angry with someone other than him was always surreal. He felt a pang of jealousy. That was supposed to be for him.

"Ready for a little hunting?" Artemis asked, reaching for her bow and trick arrows. Wally looked at her, her walls were up again. He felt a strange feeling spread in him as he realized she would bring them down again for him.

"With you? Always." He said, leaning in and giving her an actual kiss. She blushed scarlet, and then ran out of the room. She paused at the door, waiting for Wally.

"Well?" She said.

The speedster could barely breathe, but he nodded.

Line Break…

Later that night, Wally stood in the kitchen. He kept opening and closing the fridge, looking for something to eat, but not actually looking at all.

"You're going to break it." Artemis said, leaning on the door frame. Her strait blonde hair was hanging down around her, making her look almost childish. She reached up and tucked a rebellious strand behind her ear, not looking at Wally.

"About earlier-" They both said at the same time, and they laughed.

"You first." She said, pushing away from the door and leaning on the island. She picked up a pencil that Megan had left next to the grocery list. She twirled it in her fingers.

"I, uh… I really don't want to go back to how things were…before." He said, scratching the back of his head. "I really liked, um, you know…" He smiled.

She looked up at him, her gray eyes still wary.

"Wally…" She started, but her cut her off.

"When are you going to learn that I'm _never_ going to hurt you?" He asked, walking around the kitchen in agitation. "I really don't know if you hate me sometimes, or maybe you just think that I'm like everyone else out there. Maybe you think that I would just dump you if I got bored. But, Babe," He looked at her, his green eye pleading. "You're too irritating to ever be boring."

Her mouth was hanging open slightly, and her arms were folded protectively over her stomach. She looked at him, unsure. He walked up in front of her, pulling her to him. Much to his (albeit pleasant) surprise, she wrapped her arms around him.

He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers.

He managed to pull one clear thought out of his tangled mind.

_I love her._


	2. Bitter Smiles

**A.N. To anyone reading my other story, I'm really sorry I haven't been posting. I may not be able to until later this week. Things are just a little crazy and I don't have a ton of time to write. **

**I've found that I quite like writing unrelated one shots, they are an excellent release for my romantic story fluff. :P **

She lazily turned over, her arm slipping gracelessly off of her bed. She kicked at her sheets, untangling her aching body from the then irritating fabric. She flopped onto the floor, landing hard on her forearms.

"Ouch." Said an arrogant, sarcastic voice. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, Chesh, I'm fine." She grumbled, forcing the weight of her body up onto her knees. She stood shakily.

"Good." Purred her sister, tossing her a bow and quiver of arrows. "I guess that means you're up for another sparring match." It wasn't a question.

Artemis knocked an arrow, her burning muscles struggling to even lift the instrument she was usually so accustom to.

As their match went on, Cheshire fighting at a maximum of half strength, Artemis blurrily though to Batman's orders.

* * *

_"It will be a simple reconnaissance mission," Batman said, his back turned on the team. Wally glared at Artemis, sticking his tongue out. _

_ "In and out. No questions, no exceptions." He vaguely looked over his shoulder, and an imperceptible smirk came across his face as he watched Kid Flash and Artemis. _

_ "It is well known that Cheshire is out for blood when it comes to our archer, and I expect extreme caution on everyone's behalf." He said, raising his voice slightly. Wally tongue snapped back into his mouth, and Robin laughed. _

_ "To the bio-ship?" Miss Martian asked, lifting off of the ground. _

_ Batman nodded and walked over to the zeta tubes. _

* * *

Something hard and heavy crashed into the back of Artemis's head, accompanied by her favorite friend of the past week. Pain.

"Oh, come on now Arty, you're better than that." He sister said, swinging at her again.

"No, I'm just better than you." She spat as an all too familiar metallic taste spread on her tongue.

Her sisters teasing smile faltered, and she glared at Artemis.

"You should be grateful. I freed you from your servitude to the Justice League." She hissed, drawing back her crowbar.

"I was kind of starting to like it there." Artemis said bitterly, refusing, though exhausted, to admit defeat.

"Of course you were." Growled Cheshire. She tightened her grip on her bar, slashing blindly at her sister.

Artemis reached out to block the blow from landing on her face, her body to worn to defend herself farther. She kept thinking back to Wally, his stupid, immature tongue, hanging out of his stupid, immature mouth. She smiled weakly, her gray eyes drifting closed.

There was a crash somewhere above them, but she was too tired to comprehend anything other than the hopelessness. She thought that she might have heard Zatanna, yelling one of her spells over the din, but she knew that they never would have found her. Even if she had worn the tracking bracelet they had assigned to her, it would never have worked that far underground.

She started slipping, deep down inside, she secretly wanted to black out. Letting her sister deal with her limp, bleeding body sounded like a fair trade for the suffering she had been through.

A red and yellow blur crashed into Cheshire, sending her flying across the room. There was another slight change in the air, and a sorrowful looking red-headed boy was kneeling down in front of her.

"Hey there Arty." Wally said. He gingerly brushed the sweat plastered strands of hair from her bruised face. "You're gonna be fine." He tried for a winning grin, but his worry showed.

Artemis watch, dazed, as the rest of her team stormed in behind the speedster. Robin went after Cheshire, Conner not far behind. They pinned her, with her hands strapped behind her.

"Artemis?" Megan said gently, resting her fingers on Artemis's temple. Her eyes fluttered closed, trying to create a mental link.

"No." Artemis said, her voice raspy. She turned away from them, her body still on dank concrete floor.

"Artemis…" Megan said, her voice soft. She looked at Kaldur, unsure.

"She said no, Megan. Let her at least decide who she lets in her head." Wally snapped, his tone unwavering. "She deserves that." He sounded protective, and Artemis could feel the heat from his always overheating form radiating as his temper flared.

Artemis tried to move, slowly stretching out one leg, then the other. This had been the worst of the beatings by a long shot, and her body had been broken before. She winced as her right leg bumped into something. It wasn't more than a tap, but it still sent bone deep agony coursing through her veins.

"Don't move." Wally whispered, and slowly, cautiously, wrapped his arms around her shattered body. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Wally," He stopped, tuning to face Kaldur. "Just get her back safely." He finished, seeing the rage in Wally's eyes. It was best to let the speedster leave, seeing how he wanted Cheshire dead.

* * *

The rest of the team stayed behind, calling in Black Canary to help them clean up and round up the last of the minor league villains hidden in the underground hideout.

She kept looking from Kaldur to Miss M, then back to Kaldur again.

"What happened?" She said at last, her voice sharper than usual.

"We found her in here. Or, Wally found her. He kind of went crazy, fighting through everything he had to in order to get down here." Robin said as he dabbed at a gash in his arm.

Black Canary smiled, her blue eyes knowing. She thought back to Wally's behavior around Artemis. _Typical_. She though as she radioed in.

The rest of the worn team slugged aboard the bio-ship.

* * *

Wally had set off towards the cave, Artemis still safely in his arms. He tried not to lose himself in his self loathing, but it wasn't easy to ignore the fact the she had been there because of him.

* * *

"_Wally!" Artemis whisper yelled at him, reaching for his arm. He dodged, sprinting around her. Her blonde ponytail flicked in the breeze his speed had created. _

"_Over here Beautiful." He said cockily. He leaned carelessly against a tree, wiggling his eyebrows. _

"_You're so immature." She spat, her gorgeous eyes flashing. Wally reveled in the feeling of satisfaction he always felt when she got irritated with him. _

"_Yeah, Babe, I guess I am." Another grin slipped onto his lips, and she glared at him. _

"_You're going to get us both killed, or worse." She said, loosely fingering her bow. _

"_Nah, no one's out here. This is an empty mission Arty. Bat sent us on a goose chase." Her stick strait hair flew out behind her as she spun her head to send him a loathing glance. Wally smirked. He had gotten exactly the reaction he had wanted. _

"_Hello there, Artemis." Said a silky voice, the affect it had on Artemis was instantaneous. She froze, her bowstring half pulled back. She scanned the area, eyes dark. _

_Wally felt something press up against his mouth and nose, and he slowly began to lose consciousness. _

"_Bye bye, Speedy." The voice said, and Wally tried to mumble that his name was Kid Flash, but he was already too far gone._

* * *

Artemis spent a week in the med bay, hating every second of it. She had almost reached the point of begging to be let out when Wally snuck up one night.

"West?" She said distrustfully.

"Wanna go down to the beach?" He asked, holding up a blanket.

Artemis wanted to say no, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Fine, let's go." She said, pulling on her boots. She tried to snake past Wally and walk out the door, but her grabbed her waist. She tried to pry his hands off of her, but before she could do anything he had already started speeding down the hallways, Artemis in his arms again.

"There," He said a moment later, setting her down on the sand. "You didn't even have to walk." He flopped down next to her and opened a can of soda.

Artemis did a three hundred and sixty degree turn, totally shocked by what she was seeing. Wally had spread out a picnic blanket, and he had even taken the time to bring down a bag of chips and a couple sodas.

"West, what's this about?" She said, trailing off.

"Just enjoy it." He said, looking out over the water. Artemis sighed, leaning back. She stretched out her legs, digging her now bare toes into the sand. She lifted her Coke to her lips, glancing at Wally. He was stretched out on the blanket beside her, in almost the exact same position Artemis way laying in.

"What happened in there?" He asked after a while, not looking at her.

"A lot of things, Wally. Cheshire might be my sister, but not even blood saves you from that type of person." Her voice was cold and hard. Wally turned his head slightly, his bright green eyes scanning her blank expression.

"How long have you been rehearsing that line?" He asked, eye glinting mischievously.

"Since I was little." He looked surprised. Her honest, almost childish answer had thrown the speedster off his guard.

"Oh." He looked back out over the water, trying to ignore the warmth spreading in his stomach.

"What?" She tilted her face to him, looking him strait in the eyes.

"I just… It just sounds like it sucks, that's all." He shrugged his shoulders dismissively, and Artemis lay down flat on her back again.

"Sometimes," She said after things were quiet for a while. "I come and sit here. I'm not really sure why, but I do. I think it just sort of feels like, I don't know, the closest thing I have to home, I guess?" She blushed, clearly not meaning to say that much.

"I've seen you out here before." He confessed, hoping she didn't think he was a stalker. "Not that I um…watched. I just, you know, the water, I have a window…" He trailed off, still feeling like a creep.

Artemis laughed warmly, gray eyes glittering. "Most rooms have windows, don't they Wallace?" She asked. Wally usually hated it when people used his first name, but it sounded like music to him when Artemis teasingly let it slip past her lips.

"I, um, yeah." He said, faltering.

She laughed again. She felt open, and for the first time in a really, really long time, she enjoyed the warmth that came along with it.

"Hey Wally?" She whispered, looking out once again over the moonlit water.

"Yeah Arty?" He was surprised that she didn't scoff at his nickname for her.

"I was terrified, when I was with Jade." He voice was tight, but Wally didn't move. "I was afraid no one would find me, I was afraid they would think that she would leave me alone. I was afraid that I was going to die. I thought that I was going to die in there, Wally." She closed her tear filled eyes, her body shaking with unvoiced sobs.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Wally sat up, pulling her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his chest, holding tight. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt, but he just held her tighter still.

"I thought that…" She choked out, struggling for breath. "I thought they would just leave me down there. That they knew, but didn't care." She held back another sob, burying her head in his shoulder.

"Artemis, look at me." He said, surprising himself with the firmness of his voice. "I would never let them leave you there. If I had to, I would have come by myself." His green eyes flashed angrily, and Artemis nodded.

Wally's shoulders sagged, and he whispered in Artemis's ear, "Why did you think we would leave you?"

She shrugged, uncomfortable with the question.

"Arty, answer me."

"No one has ever really cared before. You eventually get the memo loud and clear that you're not worth the saving." She laughed bitterly, her eyes slightly puffy from crying. "I'm sorry." She looked down at her toes as she whispered her apology, and Wally's temper spiked.

"_You _have nothing to be sorry for." He said. He leaned in close to her, their faces an inch apart. He rested a hand on her cheek, brushing at her tears with his thumb.

"And you are worth saving. At least, to me you are."

"Wally…" She started pulling away, trying to slip out of his arms.

"Please, don't do this." He said sorrowfully.

Artemis froze, her eyes wide. She looked at Wally, her gray eyes showing the slightest amount of fear.

"I can't do this, this whole 'relationship' thing. You deserve to be with someone who can." A single tear slipped down her already tear stained cheeks.

"But I want it with you." He said, pulling her to him again. "I don't want perfect. I don't want easy. I want a fire, hard to handle, dazzling." He murmured at he wrapped both arms around her waist. "I want someone who will give me a headache, and will be an extremely difficult person to deal with. I want to be the one who has to wake you up every morning, because the team knows you won't kill me. I want to see the sleep in your eyes, and your silly looking bed head. I want _you_, Artemis. I only need you."

Goosebumps ran up and down her arms, showing clearly in the bright moonlight.

"But-" She started to say how he didn't deserve to be chained to her like that, but he cut her off.

"No 'buts'. No 'I can'ts'. No 'you deserve betters'. I don't _care_ about what you think I deserve, I care about you. I _need _you. _I need you_." He closed the distance between them, gently pressing his lips to hers. He smiled, wishing she would too.

Her smile was more reluctant, but it was there. Wally's smile grew into a grin, and he pulled away. He brushed a hand through his hair, smiling bashfully at her.

Her eyes were downcast, like she still wasn't sure if she could trust him. He pressed two fingers under her chin, and she looked up at him.

"Arty?" He whispered, still smiling.

"Yeah West?" She smirked a little.

"_I love you_." He whispered, pressing his lips to hers again before she could respond. He felt her lips forming a smile. Not a big one, but a smile all the same.

**Thanks for reading! Please review for more chapters. Any (constructive) criticisim is welcomed warmly in the comments below. Do me a favor and write me a review? *Puppy-Dog Eyes* **


End file.
